Arpit Chaturvedi

Arpit Chaturvedi is the Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament Mrs. Kalvakuntla Kavitha (MP, Nizamabad, Telangana).

He is the author of the book Our Egalitarian Universe? And has co-edited a Monograph at the National Foundation for Communal Harmony authored by top Civil Servants of India (IASs, IFSs, IPSs, IAASs). He is also a policy analyst and has publications with international policy magazines such as the South Asia Journal.

I wrote this letter back in 2013, just six months after graduating with a BA (Hons) in history from Kirori Mal College in Delhi. I never got around to posting my letter to the head of the history department then but I believe that the message and suggestions remain relevant and apply to a wider audience as well.

There have only been rare cases where people have united for something without being against something. The Indian National Movement also had a common enemy in form of the colonialists. Can a leader be so non-partisan so as not to even ask people to unite against discriminators and exploiters?

Our philosophers have often led desolate, isolated lives, sidelined by society and shuttered away from the world. Many of our philosophers haven't been able to live up to the ideals they preached about.

The last one year of working with a parliamentarian -- Mrs. K. Kavitha, a young MP from the young state of Telangana -- has been a roller-coaster ride as well as an enlightening experience. From attending parliamentary meetings, to preparing notes for international conferences, to meeting people from villages and figuring out the best ways to address the problems that they voice. All of it comes with an exposure that is unmatched when compared to the usual corporate jobs.